


Cry Me a River

by zebraljb



Category: NSYNC
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-04
Updated: 2011-12-03
Packaged: 2017-10-26 20:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/287736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zebraljb/pseuds/zebraljb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin's poor choice makes Lance cry, but with some help from JC, Lance has Justin crying as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the old standard "Cry Me a River." I remember having Barbra Streisand's version in mind when I wrote this.

CRY ME A RIVER  
One

 _Now, you say you’re lonely/You cry the whole night through/Well, you can cry me a river/Cry me a river/I cried a river over you…_

 

“What’s wrong with Justin?” Joey asked Lance as he climbed on their bus.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, gathering his things to hit the shower.

“Didn’t you notice how off he was tonight? And I think the fans even noticed. We can’t be having that, man,” Joey said. He paused. “Maybe you could talk to him.”

Lance slowly turned around. “Joey, nothing I have to say to Justin will make him feel any better. As a matter of fact, everything I’d like to say to him would only make him feel worse.” Lance went into the tiny bathroom and shut the door.

 

“Justin, you okay, buddy?” Chris plopped down next to Justin on the sofa. “You’re not yourself tonight.”

“I…uh…” Justin’s blue eyes swam with tears and Chris was shocked. “Me and Lance broke up?”

“You what?” Chris gasped, and JC froze in the middle of dunking his teabag into his mug. He was behind the tiny kitchen counter, and neither Chris nor Justin knew he was listening.

“We broke up.”

“You broke up with Lance? I thought you loved him!”

“I didn’t break up with him. He broke up with me.”

JC’s teabag fell into the mug with a plop.

 

“Yeah?” Lance answered his cellphone distractedly.

“Lance?”

Lance sighed and removed his glasses. He looked at Joey, who was flipping channels on the television as he talked to Kelly on his cellphone. Lance got up and went back to his bunk. “What, Justin?”

“I was just wondering how you were doing. I was feeling kinda lonely and…”

“You’re on a bus FULL of people. Your best friend Chris is there, JC is there…he’s a nice guy, he’d probably talk to you…go talk to the driver, for Christ’s sake.”

“Lance, please. Can’t we just talk?” Justin’s tone was desperate.

“We’ve done all the talking we need to do, Justin. We have four shows left in this tour. Let’s get through them and get on with our lives.”

“I can’t perform. Lance, I love you.”

“You should have remembered that before you cheated on me. Later, Justin.” Lance hung up the phone and came back out into the living room area. Joey had hung up his phone and was staring at him.

“Anything you wanna tell me?”

“I broke up with Justin.”

“Why?”

“Because he was fucking around on me. I caught him in the last city. It’s been going on for a while, and I chose to ignore it.”

“THAT’S why he’s so upset?”

“You sound surprised.”

“He’s Justin Timberlake. Nothing bothers him.”

“Well, now he’s Justin Timberlake, alone and crying like a baby on his bus.” Lance picked up his laptop and went back to his bunk. “Good night, Joe.”


	2. Chapter 2

CRY ME A RIVER  
Two

 _Now, you say you’re sorry/For being so untrue/Well, you can cry me a river/Cry me a river/I cried a river over you…_

 

“Where’s Justin?” Joey asked the next morning when they stopped at a Denny’s for breakfast.

“Sleeping,” Chris said. He glared at Lance. “You couldn’t have waited until the tour was over?”

“Sorry, Chris, if my heart takes precedence over the damn tour,” Lance snapped.

“Guys, relax,” JC said softly, stepping between them. They both immediately stepped back. JC was the peacemaker, and they usually did what he asked. “Let’s not allow whatever happened come between us all, okay? It’s between Justin and Lance, and that’s it.”

“Thanks, Jayce,” Lance said gratefully. He looked at Chris. “If your woman was cheating on you, and you found out…if you walked in on her fucking someone else…would you allow it to continue?”

“Of course not,” Chris said immediately. Lance raised an eyebrow and followed the bodyguard into the restaurant.

JC hung back and returned to the bus to get Justin up. He slowly pulled Justin’s curtain aside and peeked down at his sleeping friend. Justin and Lance had been together for over a year, and JC had thought they were hopelessly in love. Well, at least one of them was. “I can’t believe you could do it, Justin,” JC whispered. “You had it all…and you fucked it away.” He bent down and shook Justin. “Justin,” he said in a louder tone. “Get up, man. Breakfast.”

“Oh. Okay.” Justin sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Gimme a sec to wash my face.”

“You okay?” JC asked. Justin nodded.

“Is Lance out there?”

“Yeah. He’s in the restaurant.”

“Go on ahead. I’ll be right there.” Justin padded to the bathroom.

JC went into the restaurant. There was a seat next to Lance, and one across from Lance, next to Joey. “Sit here, JC,” Lance said, patting the chair next to him. JC sat down and ordered an omelet and tea.

“Justin coming?” Chris asked. JC nodded. “Cool.” Justin soon ambled into the restaurant, wearing jeans and a blue hooded sweatshirt. “Isn’t that mine?” Chris asked.

“Yes. But it brings out my eyes,” Justin said simply, falling onto the chair across from Lance. “Lucky Charms and a side of ham,” he told the waitress. “And apple juice.”

“Cereal and ham. What a combination,” Joey teased.

Justin frowned at him and crossed his long legs under the table. He felt his foot bump Lance’s shin. “Sorry,” he said softly, looking up at Lance with sorrowful blue eyes. Lance rolled his own eyes and turned to JC.

“So, Jayce, what’s up for you on break?”

“Some production work…nothing big,” JC replied, blushing slightly at the sudden attention. Justin soon tuned him out, concentrating on Lance’s fingers as he played with his fork.

 

“Lance,” Justin said softly when they reached the hotel. “Can we talk?”

“Nothing to talk about,” Lance replied, unlocking his door. “See you.”

“Lance, grow up for ten minutes, okay?” Justin snapped, sticking his foot in the door of Lance’s room.

“Oh, yes…you’d know ALL about being a grownup, wouldn’t you?” Lance growled, but he allowed Justin to come in. “Tell me, Justin, how grownup do you have to be to fuck a bunch of groupies?”

“Lance, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” Justin whined. “I made a mistake.”

“You made a HUGE mistake,” Lance said, slapping the table by the door. “Justin, I loved you. I gave you my heart, and you decided to use it as a mattress to fuck your little friends on. I’m not gonna let that happen. There are too many wonderful guys out there for me. You were my first love.”

“You’re mine, too,” Justin said, a sob catching in his throat. “Who will take care of me?”

“You’re a grownup, remember? Take care of yourself.” Lance opened the door, and Justin slowly walked out.


	3. Chapter 3

CRY ME A RIVER  
Three

 _You drove me…nearly drove me out of my head/While you never shed a tear/Remember…I remember all that you said/Told me love was too plebeian/Told me you were through with me…_

 

JC slowly approached Lance as they all headed for the Quiet Room before their performance that night. “Lance?”

“Hey, Jayce.” Lance gave JC a tired smile. “Ready?”

“Sure am,” JC said, nodding. “I was, uh, wondering…if you’d like to go out for a bite after the show.”

“Joey asked me to go clubbing with him,” Lance said.

“Oh, okay. Another time.” JC put a hand on the doorknob and Lance stopped him.

“But I’ll tell him I’m not interested,” Lance said. “I’d MUCH rather go eat with you. I’m not in the mood to club tonight.”

“Okay,” JC said, smiling. “I’ll stop by your room after the show.”

 

JC was the first one on the van after the show. The van had three long seats, and he always like to sit in the back. It helped him to calm down. He was surprised when Lance was the second one on, and even more surprised when Lance came back to sit next to him. Lance usually was the last one on, and usually sat with Joey. “Great show, huh?” Lance panted, wiping at his forehead with a towel.

“It went well,” JC agreed, watching Chris throw an arm around Justin’s shoulders as they jogged to the van.

“Was it me or did Justin sing “Gone” with a little more feeling than usual tonight?” Lance said, and JC froze. He stared at Lance, then they both burst out laughing.

“If he could have sang it on one knee in front of you, Lance, I swear to God he would have,” JC said. Lance laughed harder, and was still laughing as the others climbed into the van.

“What’s so funny?” Joey asked.

“Nothing,” Lance answered, reaching over and squeezing JC’s knee. “Absolutely nothing.”

“We on for tonight?” Joey asked Lance.

“Sorry, Joe…I’m gonna pass. Me and JC are going out to eat.”

Justin looked up sharply, glaring at JC. JC stared back, smiling sweetly. “Okay…Justin, Chris, you coming with me? I can’t go clubbing alone, guys.”

“I’m in.” Chris bounced a SuperBall off the roof of the van.

“Sure,” Justin said. “I got nothing better to do,” he said with a miserable sigh. Chris glared at him.

“You need to get past this. Look at Lance. He’s a grownup. He’s able to do his job and get on with his life.” Chris rubbed Justin’s curls. “I love you, man, but you get way too melodramatic. I mean, you cheated on him, right?”

“Do we need to talk about this NOW?” Justin asked. JC saw Lance wince at the memory.

“Justin’s right. This isn’t a topic for group discussion,” JC said softly. Lance gave JC a grateful wink.

 

“So…he really cheated on you?” JC asked softly as their chicken Caesar salads were served.

“Yeah.” Lance toyed with a piece of chicken. “I’d been suspecting it for a while…just the way he was acting. It was driving me crazy…when I wasn’t with him, he’d call and everything, but I totally got the feeling he wasn’t alone, or didn’t plan on being alone. But I didn’t have proof.” Lance took a few bites. “I called him on it one night…but he was drunk and not making much sense. He did tell me that he thought true love was something that people like us could never really achieve…that we weren’t like other people. That we should live for the moment instead of trying a relationship like normal people. And he said if I couldn’t handle that, then he was through with me.”

“Jesus, Lance!” JC gasped. “And you stuck with him?”

“I thought I could make it work. And then the next day he woke up and apologized. He was so sweet after that…until the night that I found him in bed with some strange guy.” Lance gulped at his wine.

“You deserve so much better than that, Lance,” JC said softly. “So much. He’s a jerk.”

“He’s young,” Lance said with a shrug.

“Only two years younger than you, and I know you’d never do that,” JC pointed out. “Are you…are you gonna get back with him?”

“No,” Lance said firmly. “I love him, but I’ll get over that. He’s not right for me.” Lance looked up at JC and gave him a shy smile. “There’s someone better out there for me.”


	4. Chapter 4

CRY ME A RIVER  
Four

 _And now you say you love me/Well, just to prove you do/Come on and cry me a river/Cry me a river/I cried a river over you…I cried a river over you…_

 

“Lance…when was the last time you cried?” The magazine reporter asked. Everyone looked at her. This was a random question that they weren’t used to.

“The last time I cried?” Lance asked. He looked at Justin for a long moment before he smiled at the woman. “A few weeks ago. I was seeing someone…loved them…and I found out that they were running around on me.”

“That must have been awful!” She gasped.

“Yeah…I’m not one to show my emotions, but I was pretty upset.” Lance shrugged. “All better now, though.”

“How about you, Justin? When was the last time you cried?” The woman asked. Justin looked up from his shoes.

“Last night,” he whispered, and he looked so pitiful that she moved on to Joey, asking him a totally different question.

 

“Lance,” Justin said as they went to collect their things. “Can we have lunch before rehearsal? I really want to talk to you.”

Lance stopped walking and sighed. “I thought we covered all this a few days ago, Justin.”

“Please, Lance. This is the last time, I swear,” Justin begged. “We can order up to my room. Okay?”

“You guys coming?” Chris yelled back. Lance looked at Justin.

“Fine. Lunch. That’s IT.”

 

They ordered up cheeseburgers and fries and sat on Justin’s bed. Justin played with a fry. “I never meant to hurt you, Lance. You meant the world to me.”

“Then why did you have to look around for sex, Justin? Why wasn’t it good enough with me?”

“It was!” Justin insisted. “I just…I don’t know. I messed up.”

“And I know this wasn’t the first time,” Lance told him. “Justin, I cried every night for a WEEK after I walked in on you guys.”

“You weren’t supposed to find out,” Justin said miserably.

“That makes it okay? As long as I didn’t know, it was okay?” Lance yelled. Justin jumped. “Thank GOD JC asked to borrow my black sweater that night, Justin, that’s all I have to say. Thank GOD it was in YOUR room…and thank GOD your door was unlocked. Or you might have dragged me along this way for I don’t know HOW long.” Lance stood up.

“Lance, I still love you!” Justin jumped up as well. “Can’t you give me a second chance?”

“No, Justin.” Lance looked at Justin. “You had your chance. Now I’m moving on, to someone who won’t treat me that way. You just keep on crying…maybe you’ll cry as much as I did.” Lance left, slamming the door behind him.

 

“So…I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” Lance said to JC as they got off the plane back in Orlando.

“Yes…but wait until after lunch. I plan on sleeping long and hard,” JC said with a laugh. He hugged Lance, Joey and Chris. “See you guys later.” He looked at Justin. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Justin mumbled. He and JC lived on one side of town, while the others lived closer together on the other side of the city. Justin and JC climbed into a limo and headed out of the airport. “So…you and Lance are getting pretty tight.”

“Yes, we are. Does that bother you?”

“Of course it does. I love him.”

“Well, you should have thought of that before you cheated on him, Justin.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, yes, it is.” JC leaned across the seat. “I knew, Justin. I saw you sneaking off. And I saw that Lance suspected it. That’s why I made sure the lock on your door in that hotel didn’t work. And that’s why I made sure that Lance came back to find me that sweater.”

“You set me up?” Justin gasped.

“Oh, don’t look so insulted, Justin. It’s not like you were innocent to begin with,” JC snapped. “It was the only way I could get him to see how wrong you were for him.”

“You bastard,” Justin whispered. “I’m gonna tell him, you know that, right?”

“Do you REALLY think he’ll believe you?” JC asked with a smirk. “You’re the dickhead who cheated on him…and I’m the good friend who’s here to pick up the pieces.” The limo pulled into JC’s driveway. “See you around, Justin.” JC got out of the car, leaving Justin to stare after him in shock.  
THE END


End file.
